Industrialization for sustainable facade rehabilitation: a feasibility study in aging urban environments

Milagro Iborra-Lucas

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0617-6440

Spain

Universitat Politècnica de València

Dept. of Architectural Constructions

John Jairo Zambrano Alcívar

Spain

Universitat Politècnica de València image/svg+xml

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Accepted: 2025-12-12

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Published: 2025-12-23

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4995/vitruvio-ijats.2025.24825
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Keywords:

energy rehabilitation, industrialized façades, modular systems, energy efficiency, technical feasibility, urban environments

Supporting agencies:

This research was not funded

Abstract:

The existing building stock represents one of the main contributors to environmental impact, as a large portion of constructions were built under outdated regulations and technical requirements with low energy efficiency. This study assesses the technical feasibility of incorporating industrialized façade systems as an energy rehabilitation strategy, with particular attention to their structural compatibility under additional loads and their potential to enhance the thermal performance of older buildings. Through a case study, structural and energy simulation tools were applied to compare different modular prototypes. The results demonstrate that it is possible to integrate industrialized solutions compatible with existing structures, achieving substantial improvements in both energy performance and building habitability. Industrialization in rehabilitation enables the modernization of obsolete buildings and represents a viable alternative with reduced environmental impact. This approach provides objective technical criteria to support decision-making in rehabilitation projects, contributing to extending the service life of the building stock and aligning it with sustainability goals.

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